


Lovely Days

by flyingisland



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 07:11:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6319678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingisland/pseuds/flyingisland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is not a normal love story. Heiwajima Shizuo is not a normal man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lovely Days

Shizuo lights his cigarette.

The click of the lighter is lost within the chatter of the crowd around them. Nervous passersby mutter amongst themselves, children laugh and cry, businessmen argue loudly on their phones, and Tom finds that the noise of it is reminiscent of babbling brooks and the gentle thumping of raindrops against his roof at night.

He’s lived in this town all of his life, and if anything calms him, it’s this familiar noise.

They’re walking from the apartment of one debtor to the next. Shizuo has been quiet for most of the day, but that’s not unusual. There’s a gentle understanding between the two of them: Tom does most of the talking, Shizuo nods and agrees. Tom steps aside when the clients get a little too aggressive or annoying, Shizuo beats them within an inch of their lives.

He might not even notice the blond tailing him at all if not for the scent of that smoke. He’s a silent predator, towering over the other pedestrians and parting crowds with an angry look alone. Tom wonders if Shizuo even notices the way other people look at him anymore, like he’s a ticking time bomb just waiting for the opportunity to detonate.

They’ve been sleeping together for two months now, and Tom finds that he’s been wondering about his employee a lot lately.

He’s not really sure how it started, or why it started, but they were drinking, of course. It had been a long week. So many men had been dumb enough to push Shizuo’s buttons and so many more had found themselves recovering in the hospital. That wormy Orihara bastard had been spotted flitting about the city and Shizuo had chased him around, wasting a decent portion of their valuable time. Six debtors had escaped them that day, and Shizuo’s shoulders had slumped in shame all the way back to the office.

Their shift ended and the boss hadn’t been too happy with either of them, even if he’d been too afraid to show it.

So they’d bought some cheap beer from the convenience store. Shizuo isn’t ever one to complain, but the way he’d wrinkled his nose through the first four cans had given his distaste away. They were chatting on the floor in Tom’s apartment, the television white noise in the background, when _someone_ had kissed the other, and _someone_ had started undressing, and _someone_ had found their hands wandering in places where bosses should never touch their employees if they aren’t interested in lawsuits.

He’d apologized in the morning, of course, and the next week when it happened again.

And… the next three times, until he’d decided that maybe Shizuo wasn’t such an unwilling participant after all.

 They find their next debtor easily. When he comes outside and sees Shizuo slumped casually against the ledge of his balcony, fiddling with his phone, he immediately tries to close the door right in Tom’s face.

“Hey, buddy, we just want to talk,” He starts, but the guy is already so nervous that he’s incoherent.

The job goes fairly smoothly after that.

They’re walking home when Shizuo pauses. He’s eyeing something across the street, back straight, senses on high-alert. Tom worries for a moment that Orihara has shown his face again, but when he cranes his neck to spot what’s captivated that blond’s attention, his heart flutters at the mere sight of it.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, smiling up at the taller man, pretending he doesn’t notice the color on his cheeks, “You want to go in there for some ice cream?”

Shizuo nods, albeit bashfully.

And they’re eating together at a café table outside of the ice cream parlor, enjoying the fresh warmth of spring as people pass them by.

No one ever notices Shizuo like this, sitting happily, enjoying a treat at the end of a long day. They can’t see the way his eyes light up when offered something sweet, the shyness in the way he smiles when Tom pays for it. He’s not sure if he would want them to. If anyone else could comprehend Shizuo like this, they might try to steal him away.

It’s a weird thought, but he doesn’t mind.

Shizuo is watching a mother holding hands with her two children. They’re giggling as they skip beside her, grins bright on all three faces as they walk along.

“Hey, Shizuo,” he draws out slowly, pointing his spoonful of ice cream at the blond, “Do you like kids?”

It’s an odd question, but he knows the younger man enjoys the company of that Awakusu girl. His forgiveness is boundless, Tom finds, wondering if he could ever be big enough to absolve someone who tased him. It’s doubtful. Child or not, painful or not, he doesn’t think he’s a big enough man to befriend a child who has tried to murder him on the streets and made countless bystanders believe he might have kidnapped her.

“Not really,” Shizuo replies blandly, mouth full, “They’re pretty noisy. They get hurt too easily.”

And that’s that.

A young couple strolls by. The girl is holding her boyfriend’s arm, cheeks dusted pink. Shizuo watches them too, brows low as he finishes off the last of his dessert. Tom wishes he knew what he was thinking. Does he want to do something like that? Well, he’s a little too short for the blond to lean against him in such a way, but maybe they could make it work.

“Do you like kids, Tom-san?” Shizuo asks, flicking his gaze back and forth between the couple and Tom.

He’s really not sure. He’s always thought that one day he would settle down with some pretty little thing and they’d have a couple of rugrats, but while Shizuo is definitely a pretty thing, he’s probably not capable of popping out any children.

“Maybe,” he replies, lacing his fingers under his chin and grinning at the other man, “I wouldn’t mind having a few when I get older.”

Shizuo fixes him with a perplexing look. He seems almost offended, maybe surprised. His stare doesn’t quite reach Tom’s eyes.

“You’ll have to get a girlfriend then,” the blond asserts, cocking his head to the side, “You can’t have kids without a woman, right?”

He wants to laugh, but Shizuo looks a little volatile right now. He really doesn’t want to cause a scene, and he definitely isn’t interested in ruining the decade-long stretch he’s went without being assaulted by the hot-headed strongman.

“We could adopt,” he teases, possibly going a little too far to get a rise out of his employee, “Kids seem to like you. I bet you’d make a great mom.”

Shizuo looks revolted. His cheeks aflame, brows so high that they disappear beneath his bangs, he sits there staring at Tom as though he’s grown an extra head.

The conversation is pretty much dead after that, but he enjoys watching the color fade from Shizuo’s cheeks. It’s getting late. The sunset casts an orange glow along the street, glinting across the windows of shops and bathing the blond in halo of golden light.

It’s a shame that he wouldn’t allow himself to become an idol like his brother. A face like that is just begging to be worshipped by the world.

Headlights illuminate the sidewalk as Shizuo escorts him home. He’s smoking again, silent as can be, a dangerous force following closely behind like Tom’s very own guardian angel.

He’s started leaving chocolates on the blond’s nightstand each morning before he leaves. Shizuo hasn’t mentioned it, as neither of them talk about this unusual affair going on between them at all, but they’re always gone when he comes around again, and he can’t imagine Shizuo wasting any sort of sweets.

It might be a little too romantic, but he likes to imagine the younger man thinking of him as he eats them.

He isn’t sure how to move this relationship along, or if he should at all. Shizuo is a living legend, a large part of the mysterious energy that courses through this city’s veins, and a myth of a man such as Heiwajima Shizuo surely has no need for an average old guy like himself. The sex is great and Shizuo is gorgeous. He’s a dear friend, an important ally, but… What is Tom to him?

He’s an old friend, surely, warmth in the middle of otherwise lonely nights. He’s a gentle push in the right direction, but a lover? Could Shizuo ever bring himself to see him as anything but his pervy boss?

They reach his building far too soon, Shizuo still straggling behind. He’s looking around, always on edge, as though he’s just waiting for someone to jump out and attack them.

But this is his life, Tom decides sadly. Around every corner is another thug with a death wish. Everywhere he goes, there’s bound to be someone with a score to settle or an inflated idea of their own strength. He’s seen the scars, touched the remnants of bullet holes and old battle wounds. He’s dragged his lips over the mark on Shizuo’s chest that he doesn’t like to talk about. He knows what his reputation has cost.

“Tom-san,” Shizuo breathes, nicotine scenting his words as he draws closer.

There’s a small pause in which they simply look at each other, Tom’s head tipped back to gaze up into those deep but guarded eyes. No one else is around. He reaches up, tangling his fingers in blond hair before pulling the younger man down into a quick kiss.

Shizuo stiffens, but he kisses back.

Tom is fumbling with his keys soon after, watching Shizuo’s receding back out of the corner of his eye. The blond stops and turns to look at him. He’s going to say something, Tom notes, and his throat is suddenly tight at the realization. Shizuo never talks if it isn’t important.

“Tom-san,” he calls, and Tom strangles out a reply, “I just wanted to tell you—“

 _I love you_ is what he hopes to hear, but that’s so stupid. It’s far too soon for that, and Shizuo would never think of someone like him like that. He’s happy enough with what they have going on, even if sometimes he aches to envelope the other man completely, to meld into his life so wholly that they never have to be apart.

“You would have to be the mom because you’re small. Kids wouldn’t understand why the little one was the dad and the big one was the mom.”

He doesn’t understand at first, but when he remembers, laughter rumbles through his throat.

 _Close enough_ , he thinks, waving goodbye to the blond as he finally pries the front door open.

 This isn’t a normal love story. They can’t fall for each other like people do in the movies. Shizuo is a hero, a sparkling God among men who will die someday in fiery infamy. He’s strong, but his heart is fragile. He’s incredible, but sometimes so shy that no one can even hear him.

He’ll take his time. They’ll sleep around. He’ll buy Shizuo fast food when he’s hungry and ice cream when he’s mad. They’ll walk the city day after day and they’ll tell jokes until the subtle sadness completely erases itself from the younger man’s smile.

And someday, he muses, maybe Shizuo will love him too.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking a lot about writing a Tom/Shizuo story because I absolutely love them together! It's a pretty rare ship as far as fanfiction goes, and I've felt a little guilty about never submitting anything. Tom is kind of hard to write though! He's such a cool guy. I hope I did him justice!
> 
> Someday, I'll write something longer about the two of them, but I hope you enjoyed reading this regardless!


End file.
